Construction of Fangchenggang plant starts

03 August 2010

The construction of the first reactor at Phase 1 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant has started in China's autonomous Guangxi province.

A ceremony was held on 30 July to mark the start of construction of the first of two domestically-developed 1000 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, which will form Phase I of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant. The plant, construction of which was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission earlier in the month, is planned to eventually house six units.

The new plant - about 45 kilometres from the border with Vietnam - is a project of Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Group, a joint venture between China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co (CGNPC) and Guangxi Investment Group.

Having already completed site preparation, the first concrete was poured into the nuclear island of Unit 1 of the plant during the ceremony, attended by regional and national dignitaries and company representatives. The ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Fangchenggang plant followed a ceremony the previous day to mark the signing of loan agreements between CGNPC, Guangxi Investment Group and a syndicate of Chinese banks and financial institutions for funding the project.

Together, company representatives and dignitaries prepare to pull a giant lever to start the pouring of concrete at the new Fangchenggang plant (Image: CGNPC)

The cost of constructing Phase I is 25 billion yuan ($3.7 billion). Some 87% of the equipment to be used in the Phase I units is expected to be sourced from Chinese suppliers. The first unit is scheduled to begin operating in 2015, while the second will start up in 2016.

The timetable for the construction of the second phase of the Fangchenggang plant has yet to be determined, but it will increase the project’s total investment to nearly 70 billion yuan ($10.4 billion), the China Daily newspaper reported.